


Romance (Andante)

by Ella (yo_itsella)



Category: TwoSet, Twosetviolin, twoset violin
Genre: Because Korngold, Editor-san knows what's up, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Maybe some light angst, Pining, Romance, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, but it doesn't last long
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:14:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28422282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yo_itsella/pseuds/Ella
Summary: Two videos filmed a week apart. Their reaction to Korngold in each is very, very different.(Alternately, "Brett has an emotional breakdown and Eddy doesn't even notice at first.")
Relationships: Eddy Chen/Brett Yang
Comments: 13
Kudos: 100





	Romance (Andante)

Eddy settles back in his chair as Brett turns off the camera. "That was a good one, you reckon?" He doesn't need to ask, really - it's one of his favorite types of videos to make, listening to great music and great playing and talking about why they love it - and he knows Brett feels the same.

"I think so," Brett agrees. "Probably a bit long, but good." He plugs the camera in to charge for the next day's filming and hands over the memory card. "Your turn, right?"

"Yeah," he confirms. Nowadays they alternate who reviews the screen recordings before sending the footage off to the editor; it used to be a joint exercise but the channel is growing so fast - there's so much to _do_ \- they've taken to splitting up the workload so the other can answer emails or work with the merch team or practice. And occasionally remember to order food.

It only works half the time, anyway. Inevitably whoever's in charge of checking the footage will call over the other to watch part of it together because it's too good, too funny not to share before they see the final product. Eddy's pretty sure their air-violining to the Barber coda will qualify.

But they can try to be productive, at least. "What are you off to?"

"Gonna play a bit, I think." Brett grabs his violin case from the nearby table with a wry smile. "You know how it is."

Eddy grins. He does know; hell, he already gave in to the impulse himself during filming when he grabbed his instrument in a futile effort to keep up with Hilary. Listening to the masters play makes you want to try it yourself, to see if you can measure up, to see if it's even possible to reach that level. "Have fun with Kreisler."

Brett's answering eyeroll tells him he got it right. "Whatever." He motions towards the laptop before stepping out of the room. "Let me know if you see anything good," he calls, his voice carrying down the hall.

Eddy puts on his headphones to drown out the sound of Brett's violin while he inspects the footage. He watches most of it at double speed as there's nearly an hour of it to get through; he really only needs to ensure everything recorded properly, and spot-checks it occasionally to make sure the video and audio are in sync.

He does watch the Barber section at a normal clip, and he was right - it's great stuff, and Brett's dramatic flop out of his chair gets a chuckle out of him. He slides off his headphones to call for Brett to come see it himself, but his voice dies at the music floating from the other side of the house.

Korngold. Second movement.

The corners of his mouth curl up as he closes his eyes, leaning forward in his seat as he listens. He isn't exaggerating much for the cameras whenever he reacts to Brett's playing. He genuinely loves it - the sweetness and warmth of his tone, the flashes of old-school style and individuality that shine through, the way his phrasing shows emotion in a way he rarely does with words.

This sounds different, though. For Eddy, Korngold is the epitome of romance, and that's not just his own interpretation of the music - it's the _title_ of the second movement, it's what it's _supposed_ to be, what it _should_ sound like. The way Brett is playing it now, even with the volume dampened by several rooms' distance between them, sounds unbearably sad. Painful. Mourning. Crying, almost.

He flashes back a few months, to their video about musicality. To Brett's words about Tchaikovsky.

He only allows himself a few more bars before muffling the sound with his headphones once again. Listening to that felt like he was intruding on something personal. Private.

He takes a deep breath and scrolls back through the footage in front of him, to the section on Korngold he'd only briefly skimmed. He was so lost in it while they recorded, eyes closed and floating with the music, that he didn't notice the way the man sitting right next to him reacted.

His heart sinks when he watches the introduction. Everything about Brett's body language collapses. He looks - he looks so _uncomfortable_. He rocks back-and-forth in his seat and scratches at his hair and can't decide what to do with his hands, restlessly attempting to cross his arms before giving up on it and tugging at his shirt collar, he's valiantly trying to pull his face into a neutral expression -

_How did he not notice this?_

The worst part is how he can't bring himself to make eye contact with the camera, can barely even look at Eddy. He'd been so bright and engaged for everything else that it's startling to see him shut down so completely.

"Something about this recording and his playing style really hits the kind of idea of romance to me," he's saying onscreen. "This - "

Brett's "Oh, yeah," sounds strangled, as does the way he immediately and emphatically clears his throat. Fuck.

He seems to pull himself together for the rest of it, mostly, even jumping in with a comment about glissing at one point. But Eddy doesn't miss how Brett swallows heavily, repeatedly, how he blinks rapidly and keeps looking down, and he's seen him be moved by music plenty of times in his life but he's never seen anything like this, ever, and by the end while he's babbling on about vibrato and phrasing, oblivious, Brett looks positively devastated.

His chest tightens as he rewinds it and watches it all again. And then again.

His best friend fell apart sitting right next to him and he didn't even notice.

He didn't notice _so many things_.

He stares at the screen a few moments more before sending the file off for editing. He can't cut this part out and he sure as hell can't show it to Brett, not after that. It's not even a consideration. He knows their editor will see everything, and there's no way around it. She's probably been seeing it for a long time; he can't bring himself to rewatch anything else to find out for himself. He wonders just how much footage she's cut out over the years, how many moments she's been forced to work around for their own sake.

Eddy slowly removes his headphones, and the sound is the same. Brett is still playing _Romance_ , and it doesn't sound like a practice session - he's not stopping and adjusting and experimenting, just playing through it - and the movement is hardly eight minutes long so this must be his fourth or fifth go of it since he left the recording room.

He leaves his chair without conscious thought and pads quietly down the hall, drawn closer and closer to the music. Brett's set up in the living room, his back to Eddy and the sheet music in front of him but he's clearly not looking at it. They both know it by heart.

Eddy waits for the movement to finish, and though he doesn't make a sound, he can see the way the set of Brett's shoulders changes when he realizes he's being watched. They both stand in silence for a long time, the ghost of the music echoing around them.

"Hey," Eddy finally says, barely above a whisper.

When Brett turns his head to look back at him, the defeated, apologetic smile on his face tells him everything he needs to know.

He can tell Brett's searching for something to say and he doesn't give him the chance; instead he walks up and carefully takes the violin and bow from his hands, their fingers brushing softly as he does so. Brett doesn't resist. When Eddy sets them aside and turns to face him, Brett's head remains lowered, the set of his mouth resigned and refusing to meet his eyes.

Eddy doesn't hesitate before reaching out, sliding his hands over Brett's cheeks, and tilting his face up to kiss him.

Brett freezes when their lips meet for a long second, then two, and then -

He exhales.

He breathes softly into Eddy's mouth, the rush of air warm and gentle just like his lips and he falls into him, his entire body melting into him except his hands - his hands reach up and wrap loosely around Eddy's wrists, thumbs tracing back and forth over his skin and then they're moving again, one sliding up to his shoulder and the other at the small of his back, a sweet needy press of yearning and disbelief and _finally_.

Eddy feels it too, the sweet rush through his chest and his heartbeat thundering in his ears and how had he not - how could he have _missed_ this, this is, this is - and he tilts his head and leans in and savors it, not able get close enough. This is how Korngold should sound, how it should _feel_ , and now it's on his lips and under his fingertips, tangible and real and better than any music could ever be. They settle into one another, easy and close, and breathe.

They're still wrapped up in each other, noses touching and mouths only a whisper apart when Brett laughs, soft and quiet and the most beautiful concerto he's ever heard. "Was it that obvious?"

Eddy laughs with him and answers by kissing him again, and again and again.

* * *

A week later, they get to react to Korngold once more while filming. This time Eddy keeps his focus on Brett and they respond to the music together, joyful and sweet and smiling so much it hurts his cheeks.

When their editor sends them the finished video, there's a message attached:

 _Congrats, you two :D_. _It's about time._

Eddy grins when he holds out his phone to show Brett.

In hindsight, yeah. It was pretty obvious.

*

**Author's Note:**

> I had to do this one after re-watching "Film Music that Copied Classical Music" - they seems so HAPPY in that video, and their reaction to Korngold was very, very different to the "8 More Legendary Classical Performances You MUST Hear (pt. 2)" video that came out only a week prior. Almost like something... happened.
> 
> My description of Brett's reaction isn't exaggerating, either - go watch it again, or check out the time I flailed about it on Twitter (relevant clips included): https://twitter.com/yo_itsella/status/1336882125468004354
> 
> And how they reacted the second time around: https://twitter.com/yo_itsella/status/1344069466120982536


End file.
